You see, the Ghirardelli facilities began taking steps toward going peanut-free in 2013 in order to become more allergy-friendly for guests with allergy concerns. However, this didn’t affect the in-house sundaes, like the popular Gold Rush (vanilla ice cream, hot fudge, melted peanut butter, and whipped cream) until now, with their removal from the menus in Disney World over the recent weeks. (Please note this update: Disneyland guests can get the Gold Rush Sundae on the west coast — Cast Members there have confirmed that it is the only location where it is still available).

Ghirardelli in Downtown Disney, Orlando

Gold Rush Peanut Butter Sundae

Guests who have allergies — as well as parents of those who have them — may find it helpful to know that, at this time, some products are still made with tree nuts, and [Read more…]

Today we’re talking everything from Mac & Cheese to Mine Trains, and from slushes to steins. Please join us for another trip around the World to see What’s New!

Magic Kingdom

Friar’s Nook made waves around New Year’s when the menu changed to feature some very unique styles of Macaroni and Cheese, while hot dogs remained available as a choice. Well, they’ve been brought together in the form of a TruffleMacaroni & Cheese Dog.

Friar’s Nook Menu

Why not, right? They had all the ingredients handy since they introduced all that Mac & Cheese goodness to the menu, and it’s always a lovely thing to find more Mac & Cheese Hot Dogs available at Disney World!

Pinocchio Village Haus has reopened since its refurbishment. This Magic Kingdom Counter Service restaurant is known for its many rooms with beautiful artwork honoring the film Pinocchio, and it appears the refurbishment was just a general spruce-up with no major changes.

Pinocchio Village Haus

The entrée menu continues to feature flatbreads, and there are only small changes to report.

Pinocchio Village Haus Menu

Those changes are found on the back of the menu: Lemonade Slush and Blue Raspberry Slush have replaced Pinocchio Punch (though you can find the same beverage at Sunshine Tree Terrace: All-Natural Lemonade with Wildberry Foam).

Lemonade and Blue Raspberry Slush

No sign of that Jiminy Cricket’s Slush, either, but the Slushes here do tend to change with some frequency, so we’ll see if Pinocchio’s conscience makes a return one of these days…

Liberty Square Market often reveals some surprises in the small signs around the registers in addition to the more permanent offerings listed on the hanging menu. While this snack stand has had Slushes available for a long time, on my most recent visit they were also offered in the souvenir Horseman’s Stein.

Additional items available at Liberty Square Market

The stein itself has been available at Sleepy Hollow, but this was the first time I’d noticed it here. I adore anything to do with the old Ichabod Crane and the Legend of Sleepy Hollow film, so seeing this piece in other places makes me smile.

Horseman’s Stein

Sing it with me! “He’s the new school master! What’s his name? Ichabod! Ichabo-od Craaaaaane!”

Horseman’s Stein

There’s one more spot where you can grab a Mickey Kitchen Sink Sundae (affectionately known here on the DFB as the “Mickey Pants Sundae”). This sign was spotted at the check-in counter for the Plaza Restaurant.

Mickey Kitchen Sink Sundae

While these aren’t limited to the Magic Kingdom, the Main Street Emporium is the first place we first got to see the new line Princess and Villain mugs. On a more recent visit, we spied the remainder of the collection! Here is the Cinderella mug…

Cinderella Mug

Cinderella Mug

… and while the general design differs, we thought you might like to see the new Maleficent and Evil Queen mugs, too!

Front AND Back of Maleficent mug

Evil Queen Mug

And among all these small changes, we sure can’t ignore the biggest change of all! The Seven Dwarfs Mine Train Roller Coaster was dedicated in New Fantasyland on May 2nd, with the official opening date for the public announced for May 28th.

It’s worth scoping out Bradley Falls (directly across from Mr. Kamal’s), to see if it is open on your visit. It’s typically open during busy days, and the most recent menu showed that the Edamame and Asian Noodle Salad are options there along with a brand new Thai Coconut Soup! Check out some of these [Read more…]

OK, all. Today we’re talking about something that I know you can all appreciate…

COOKIES! Yep. Simple, sweet, and the perfect combo of portable and delicious, cookies are the oft-forgotten workhorse of the snack world.

Now, I know that there are dozens of awesome cookie options in Disney World. So many that we couldn’t possibly list them ALL in our “best of” post about cookies. But we’re going to take a shot at listing a few of our favorites…and hopefully a few that you haven’t yet sampled!

These are cookies that are truly something special — options that either I couldn’t get anyplace else, or treats that say Disney! loud and clear to me.

Carrot Cake Cookie

Ever since I discovered the Carrot Cake Cookie at The Writer’s Stop in Disney’s Hollywood Studios, I’ve made it a point to visit this quiet little spot on just about every trip.

These are the epitome of awesome Disney snacks. Unique, only found in one park anywhere in the world, and truly, over-the-top delicious. They consist of two components: Cakey “cookies” and a huge amount of cream cheese icing — more than you would ever get on the run-of-the-mill slice of carrot cake.

The cookies themselves are moist, sweet, and spicy. And I liken this snack to the best version of a whoopie pie ever.

Carrot Cake Cookie

This treat is huge, which makes it perfect to share or to eat as a snack over a few days!

Ice Cream Cookie Sandwich

You saw this one coming from a mile away, didn’t you? There is no fancy dessert that holds a candle to one of my favorite grab and go sweet treats, the Homemade Ice Cream Cookie Sandwich!

Two ginormous cookies are smooshed together with a huge scoop of ice cream for a portable (if slightly messy) treat. Decadent, simple, and a great way to cool down on a hot Florida day!

Ice Cream Cookie Sandwich

But another fun fact that makes these sandwiches a favorite of mine is that often, you can customize them! Pick your cookie, pick your [Read more…]

Today we’re welcoming guest author Kent Walker with a cool review of the brand new Ghirardelli Soda Fountain & Chocolate Shop at Disney California Adventure. Read on for a delicious dose of ice cream and brownies!

Having been big fans of chocolate since before we could spell the word, my wife and I were very excited to find out that a Ghirardelli Soda Fountain & Chocolate Shop would be opening at Disney California Adventure. Not only would we be able to ride Radiator Springs Racers, we’d be able to do it with a belly full of ice cream, hot fudge, and brownie.

Atmosphere

The Ghirardelli Soda Fountain & Chocolate Shop occupies the space that used to be the Mission Tortilla Factory, which was an original DCA attraction in 2001.

While we were sad to see the factory go (our sons especially loved the free corn and flour tortillas – including a whole bag on their birthday!), our depression was short-lived when we found out we could drown our sorrows in sea salt caramel hot cocoa!

Inside Ghirardelli at Disney California Adventure

Our family has been to San Francisco and visited the Ghirardelli Square shop, so we knew how good their chocolate, sundaes and chocolate drinks were. Other than the much larger selection of chocolate in San Francisco, the soda fountains are very similar.

Ghirardelli in DCA made the wise choice of having much wider aisles for easier stroller navigation and crowd control, and a Ghirardelli staffer hands out samples and menus out at the door. They even go the extra step and cut off the top of the foil package so it’s easier for you to get at your free chocolate treat. On the day we stopped by, it was a caramel filled milk chocolate piece.

Other than the wider aisles for crowds and strollers, the inside is very similar to other Ghirardelli Soda Fountains across the country. One nice touch, though, is a [Read more…]

Cars Land and Buena Vista Street became a reality in Disney California Adventure over in Disneyland Resort, Heather — our intrepid columnist and resident Awesome Spice — risked life and limb to get hundreds of photos and try dozens of menu items for some rad reviews (and there are more to come, my darlings; SO many more to come!), I got the chance to interview Chef Marianne Hunnel about the big doin’s happening at this year’s Epcot Food and Wine Festival (more on that tomorrow!), and…my big brother got married!!

Atmosphere

The first thing to know is that the store and ice cream shop are separate. If you’re in the wrong one, go outside and head next door. Once you get into the ice cream shop, you’re greeted with a [Read more…]